JULY 8

Day 8: Procopius, martyr.

This righteous man was born in Jerusalem, and lived in Bissan City on the Jordan banks, and served its church as a lector of the Holy Scriptures, he also translated the Scriptures from Greek to Aramaic, the language of the people at that time. He was established by the bishop the exorcist of the diocese, and proved to be effective in delivering people from demons thanks to his ardent prayer life.

In fact, Procopius led a true monastic life, ornamented with diverse sacrifices, constant prayers and mortifications, which granted him an angelical purity. He ate nothing but bread and water once every three or four days. Rather, he fed himself on the readings of the Holy Scriptures day and night. He joined to his distinguished theological and academic knowledge, a true humility and humbleness.

When king Diocletian launched his bitter persecution against the Christians, and as his orders reached out to Caesarea in Palestine, Procopius became among the first martyrs in that city. In fact, the governor Flavianos got him arrested along with other faithful Christians, and brought them to Caesarea, the capital of the province. There, he ordered them to knee down before the Roman gods. Procopius answered him: “I know no God, but one, the creator of heavens and earth, and to Whom alone worship is due”. This answer could not but made the king more made, and he insisted that Procopius obey the commands of the kings. However, this could only confirm our martyr in his faith, and he responded eloquently, quoting a poem from the Homer that could be translated in the following: “wow to a kingdom, rules by many” (i.e. wow to a people divided under many gods). At that the governor ordered his beheading, and thus he won the crown of martyrdom in the year 303. May his prayer be with us. Amen.